Trayvon Martin's parents guests at Daytona MLK banquet

Flanked by Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, left, and family lawyer Benjamin Crump, the slain teen's father, Tracy Martin, speaks at a Sanford City Commission meeting in March at the Sanford Civic Center. In the audience are Al Sharpton, far left, and Jesse Jackson.

Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 11:53 a.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — This should have been the year Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton watched their son don a cap and gown, collect a high school diploma and catapult into his future.

Facts

Banquet tickets

Anyone who still wants to buy one of the $50 tickets for Thursday night's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration banquet in Daytona Beach must call Kim Brown Crawford at (386) 451-1108 by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Instead, they'll be in Daytona Beach Thursday night at a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration to present a scholarship award in their deceased son's name to a local high school senior making plans for college and a career.

Fulton and Martin are the parents of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old high school student who died of a single gunshot wound to the chest last year in the controversial struggle with George Zimmerman that has captured national and international headlines.

As they look back on the difficult holiday season just passed — the first Christmas without their son — they're bracing to go through the same thing on his birthday Feb. 5 and they're trying to figure out how to get through the one-year anniversary of the teenager's death on Feb. 26.

Still struggling to not get pulled under in a swirl of grief, they said the scholarship in Trayvon's name gives them something to hang onto.

"We think it's very important we continue to spread a positive message about our son," Fulton, who lives in Miami, said in a phone interview this week.

"Trayvon was loved," said Martin, who also lives in Miami, during the same interview this week. "We miss him dearly. Through us he will live on. We'll make sure of that."

The Martin Luther King Jr. banquet will be held at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, starting at 6:30 p.m. Martin and Fulton, who have been divorced for more than a decade, don't plan to make any formal remarks at the annual fundraiser. But their attorney, Benjamin Crump, will be the keynote speaker.

Crump, an attorney with a private practice based in Tallahassee who has been involved in some high-profile legal cases in Daytona Beach, said his remarks Thursday night will be rooted in the slain civil rights leader whose birthday is being honored Monday.

"I'm going to be talking in the context of Martin Luther King and his philosophies and why it's more relevant than ever," said Crump, who was involved with the case of a local toddler who died after being left behind in a daycare van and a Volusia County school system official who was killed by a carload of teenagers who rammed into his vehicle.

Trayvon and his father were visiting Tracy Martin's fiancée in Sanford on the night in February 2012 the Miami high school junior died. The teenager was walking in the fiancée's gated community when he and Zimmerman got into a confrontation that led to the fatal shooting.

Zimmerman, now 29, has been charged with second-degree murder and is free on $1 million bail while he awaits his June 10 trial. Zimmerman has maintained he shot in self-defense, and this spring a judge could decide to drop the charges during a hearing based on Florida's "stand your ground" law.

No date has been set for that stand your ground law hearing, said Shawn Vincent, a spokesman for Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara of Orlando. O'Mara could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The stand your ground law states a person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a grave threat, without an obligation to retreat first.

Trayvon's parents have been working on forming a foundation they hope will help get the stand your ground law changed. On Wednesday, Fulton will be in Tallahassee to discuss the change she hopes to see. Also on Wednesday, a few state legislators will gather in Tallahassee for a news conference to announce the filing of legislation to repeal the law.

Another aim of the foundation is to help families who find themselves in a situation similar to theirs with the loss of a loved one.

The slain teenager's parents said what should have been a time in their son's life for him to chase after his dreams has turned into a nightmare.

"Last year was probably the worst year of my life," Fulton said. "I pray daily for the strength to go on.

"We were supposed to be celebrating, but instead we have to prepare ourselves to go through the court system. It's been a long journey for justice. We continue to pray and we leave it in God's hands."

Martin said he still misses his son every day, but he tries to put his energy into positive things for his child.

"We just want to keep his legacy going and get out from under this black cloud," he said. "Whatever fight we have to fight to keep Trayvon's name from being tainted, we will. We're in it for life."

Banquet tickets

Anyone who still wants to buy one of the $50 tickets for Thursday night's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration banquet in Daytona Beach must call Kim Brown Crawford at (386) 451-1108 by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; This should have been the year Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton watched their son don a cap and gown, collect a high school diploma and catapult into his future. </p><p>Instead, they'll be in Daytona Beach Thursday night at a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration to present a scholarship award in their deceased son's name to a local high school senior making plans for college and a career. </p><p>Fulton and Martin are the parents of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old high school student who died of a single gunshot wound to the chest last year in the controversial struggle with George Zimmerman that has captured national and international headlines. </p><p>As they look back on the difficult holiday season just passed &mdash; the first Christmas without their son &mdash; they're bracing to go through the same thing on his birthday Feb. 5 and they're trying to figure out how to get through the one-year anniversary of the teenager's death on Feb. 26. </p><p>Still struggling to not get pulled under in a swirl of grief, they said the scholarship in Trayvon's name gives them something to hang onto. </p><p>"We think it's very important we continue to spread a positive message about our son," Fulton, who lives in Miami, said in a phone interview this week. </p><p>"Trayvon was loved," said Martin, who also lives in Miami, during the same interview this week. "We miss him dearly. Through us he will live on. We'll make sure of that." </p><p>The Martin Luther King Jr. banquet will be held at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, starting at 6:30 p.m. Martin and Fulton, who have been divorced for more than a decade, don't plan to make any formal remarks at the annual fundraiser. But their attorney, Benjamin Crump, will be the keynote speaker. </p><p>Crump, an attorney with a private practice based in Tallahassee who has been involved in some high-profile legal cases in Daytona Beach, said his remarks Thursday night will be rooted in the slain civil rights leader whose birthday is being honored Monday. </p><p>"I'm going to be talking in the context of Martin Luther King and his philosophies and why it's more relevant than ever," said Crump, who was involved with the case of a local toddler who died after being left behind in a daycare van and a Volusia County school system official who was killed by a carload of teenagers who rammed into his vehicle. </p><p>Trayvon and his father were visiting Tracy Martin's fiancée in Sanford on the night in February 2012 the Miami high school junior died. The teenager was walking in the fiancée's gated community when he and Zimmerman got into a confrontation that led to the fatal shooting. </p><p>Zimmerman, now 29, has been charged with second-degree murder and is free on $1 million bail while he awaits his June 10 trial. Zimmerman has maintained he shot in self-defense, and this spring a judge could decide to drop the charges during a hearing based on Florida's "stand your ground" law. </p><p>No date has been set for that stand your ground law hearing, said Shawn Vincent, a spokesman for Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara of Orlando. O'Mara could not be reached for comment Tuesday. </p><p>The stand your ground law states a person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of a grave threat, without an obligation to retreat first. </p><p>Trayvon's parents have been working on forming a foundation they hope will help get the stand your ground law changed. On Wednesday, Fulton will be in Tallahassee to discuss the change she hopes to see. Also on Wednesday, a few state legislators will gather in Tallahassee for a news conference to announce the filing of legislation to repeal the law. </p><p>Another aim of the foundation is to help families who find themselves in a situation similar to theirs with the loss of a loved one. </p><p>The slain teenager's parents said what should have been a time in their son's life for him to chase after his dreams has turned into a nightmare. </p><p>"Last year was probably the worst year of my life," Fulton said. "I pray daily for the strength to go on. </p><p>"We were supposed to be celebrating, but instead we have to prepare ourselves to go through the court system. It's been a long journey for justice. We continue to pray and we leave it in God's hands." </p><p>Martin said he still misses his son every day, but he tries to put his energy into positive things for his child. </p><p>"We just want to keep his legacy going and get out from under this black cloud," he said. "Whatever fight we have to fight to keep Trayvon's name from being tainted, we will. We're in it for life." </p><p><b>Banquet tickets</b> </p><p>Anyone who still wants to buy one of the $50 tickets for Thursday night's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration banquet in Daytona Beach must call Kim Brown Crawford at (386) 451-1108 by 2 p.m. Wednesday.</p>